The Arcanum

“Magic is not a burden—it is a gift we share with the world.”

— Professor of the Arcanum

The Arcanum of Larova, also known simply as The Arcanum, is a comparatively recent addition to the institutions of Larova, yet its influence has grown swiftly and decisively. From the Academy, a stately structure perched atop a Larovan plateau, the Arcanum oversees the education and discipline of magic throughout the region of West Tykonia. Young mages from all provinces are offered formal instruction here, and many families of stature sponsor the Arcanum—not out of reverence, but for leverage.

In theory, the Arcanum, alongside the enigmatic House Singer, serves the people of the land without allegiance to any house or crown. In practice, influence flows with the coin. More than half of the Arcanum’s funding is secured through taxation, giving the noble families of Larova disproportionate sway over the placement and employment of its graduates. The Singers, once equals in theory, are now little more than a symbolic presence outside the Arcanum's arcane machinery.

History

Founded within the last few generations, the Arcanum was born of necessity as spellcasters grew too numerous—and too dangerous—to remain untrained. The Academy quickly rose as a centralising force, attracting minds of magical aptitude and ambition. It replaced the informal apprenticeship model that once governed arcane learning with a more structured, institutional framework.

Though young by the standards of the Sanctum or the Adventurer’s Guild, the Arcanum has carved out an enduring place in Larovan politics and education. Despite its pledge of neutrality, the Arcanum often finds itself entangled in the schemes of noble houses. Access to the Academy’s graduates is a coveted advantage, and behind closed doors, favours are brokered as frequently as spells are cast.

Culture

The Arcanum’s focus lies strictly in the realm of Spellcasting, a disciplined and structured form of magic currently limited to the study of Fire and Water. These two elements are considered the foundational principles of existence: heat and flow, destruction and life. A mage may only be attuned to two elements at once, and reattunement—shifting focus from one element to another—requires hours, if not days, of intensive mental and arcane recalibration.

There are whispers of other elements, but the Academy’s elders typically dismiss such notions as folly or metaphor. Only the most radical researchers continue to press the boundaries of accepted magical theory. Alchemy is also taught at the Academy, although it is considered a secondary art: a precise, material-based discipline prized for its practical applications and often used to complement spellwork.

Life within the Arcanum is regimented but not without competition. Prestige, publication, and position all factor into a mage’s ascent through the Academy’s hierarchy. Although politics is discouraged within the classroom, they are impossible to avoid beyond its walls.

Military

The Arcanum does not maintain standing battalions, but it does supply them. Graduates often serve as battlemages, strategists, or private arcane advisors to the region’s elite. Fire-specialists make formidable siege weapons in human form; water-specialists serve as healers, scouts, and defensive casters. Though the Arcanum claims neutrality, its alumni shape the tides of war and peace alike.

Given the right incentive or threat, magi can be redirected, reassigned, or silenced. The Arcanum knows this, and so do the families that fund it. Its neutrality, like most things in Larova, is an article of faith more than fact.

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